So, I was talking to @Sparrowbug on twitter the other day about the responsibilities of YA writers in terms of content.
She was voicing her opinion about the fact that underage drinking and even drinking and driving seem to be given the ‘okay’ in some YA novels. The characters seem to not care and/or there are no consequences for the behavior.
I agree that is pretty crappy, but at the same time, is it authentic? Where do you draw the line? If it fits your character to drink or do other naughties and not face consequences, do you forgo that for your own sense of moral obligation?
I really don’t know the answer. On one hand, I know that my parents were very present and waiting up for me when I got home every night. Therefore, I didn’t drink in high school despite my friends doing, seeing it on TV, reading it in books, etc. So that side of me thinks you write what is right (fun with homophones) for your story.
On the other hand, I know my parents were awesome and not everyone has that. Also, some kids are just more rebellious by nature and will do what they want to do regardless (though I still think parenting comes into play). This side of me thinks we need to be very cognizant of the words/ideas that we are passing on to our readers.
So as writers, how do we approach these subjects? Do we strive for complete authenticity or do we try to work in some personal responsibilities (not preachy) into our writing?
A slippery slope.
You pose an excellent question & I wish more publishers would ask themselves the same thing. I think there is no shame in the author writing young characters having sex, doing drugs, etc. in their novels because it is authentic. HOWEVER, I wish those books would be marketed to all adults. I don’t believe all stories about teenagers are FOR teenagers.
If a book is packaged and marketed for teen eyes, I believe drugs and sex should come with consequences.
I don’t know…even if you market a book with drugs, sex, alcohol, etc to an adult audience, that doesn’t necessarily mean a teen wouldn’t read it. Lines are fluid when it comes to books and readership goes both ways (ie: adults in addition to kids and teens read Harry Potter).
If every book has a huge consequence then there will be people who say now _that_ isn’t realistic. It depends on whose reading it. In the end, I think books should be written in whatever style it needs to be written in. If it works out there’s a consequence for a certain behavior, fine. If not, oh well.
Some characters go to parties, drink underage, etc and nothing happens to them. Some characters go to parties, drink underage, etc and something huge happens to them. Same thing in real life.
Some people find themselves dragging themselves into their own beds to sleep off a hangover…others people may find themselves nursing their hangover at the police station. Some parents would be beyond angry and would be planning to send their kid off to boarding school…other parents would shrug and say kids will be kids. Same with book characters.
I know people who fall into all these categories and I like to think my stories reflect all these perspectives and viewpoints. I do agree, however, that there are alot of books wherer illegal/underage activities happen. I, personally, would like to see “cleaner” books mainly because I’ve read so many of the above.
In the end, though, write the story the way you want. If you don’t feel comfortable writing a story where the character doesn’t feel the consequence then don’t write it that way (the good thing about books is that there’s audience for everything). :)
YA books aren’t made for preaching so if an author is going to use a YA book to preach about the ills of underage drinking and drugs, they’re going to get called out, and fast. The fact of the matter is, kids do drink and do drugs. I had my first hit off of a joint, a cigarette and drink all around the age of 13. I drank more in high school than I did in college (except freshman year of college, wow). I lived with just my mom at the time and I doubt she was stupid enough to not pick up on the pot smoke if she wasn’t asleep when I got home (I mean, come on, she was a teenager in the 60s and 70s). The thing was, I was smart about it and didn’t do it at my house. I did it elsewhere and made sure I didn’t get caught. And I never did. My dad wasn’t fond of laying down the hand of discipline for something like that when he did it at my age so I got lucky there.
Basically, if the shoe fits, wear it. I read a book recently, Secret Society by Tom Dolby, that I felt was just blatantly having underage drinking with absolutely no repercussions and it bugged the hell out of me. The adults in the story even encouraged it. I just felt it was too far out of reality (or at least a reality I know). If the situation shows teens sneaking around and being stealthy, as they should be if they’re doing something they shouldn’t do, then I don’t mind because they’re not flaunting it and just aren’t around adults that don’t give a shit. But it’s all in the contest of the story. If it works, use it. No reason not to.
Aha! I *thought* I remembered reading about this in another place before I saw the following post:
http://magicalwords.net/carrie-ryan/sex-and-violence-in-ya/
Thought you might find it interesting. :)
Thanks! Great read!
This is a great question, and perennial discussion. I think being true to characters has to take precedence, and I agree for the need for “cleaner” books – even adult books rely gratuitously on sex and violence sometimes. What gets lost is the storytelling. I think this is why a lot more adults are gravitating to the kidlit – they enjoy the pure story, without the grit.